Come Recommended: College students have a lot on their plate. Some students are already working one or two jobs, have mouths to feed other than their own, and are struggling to survive without healthcare, all while pursuing a college degree.
Granted, not everyone is in this boat. But college students share a common bond when it comes to healthcare, or lack thereof, mainly because good care is hard to find.
9 comments:
I think every college student should read this. It's actually really important to have some sort of health insurance and to know what you are signing up for. For me, I'm more worried about what I'll do after I graduate (mostly after I turn 26). I am extremely grateful for my situation, but I honestly don't know what I am going to do in the future. Sometimes I think I have time to worry about it and other times I see how fast time flies and I keep thinking that I have to start thinking about what am I going to do for insurance!
Last year, I had surgery on my leg. If it weren't for my insurance company, I don't know how I would have been able to pay the medical bill (since it would be on top of everything else I have to pay off for). This is a great article for college students because a lot of us don't know. Anything can happen, it's better to be prepared.
Just in case of any confusion from my previous comment. I am a sophomore and so I had my surgery during my freshman year (I needed to get it because I am on the track team and I developed compartment syndrome). I was using the surgery as a medical example of what can happen while you are in college and why having insurance is so important. I had other friends go to the hospital last year for wood shop accidents (a friend of mine had sanded 7 layers of skin off and did not have health insurance and was therefore afraid of going to the hospital because she didn't know how she would pay for it)
I'm not just trying to talk about having health insurance and it's importance (though I do think it's important) I'm trying to get across that medical bills are expensive, whether it be for a surgery or a wood shop injury, we're in college, it's hard to pay for treatment. Health insurance is important but a lot of us don't really know much about it because we've either never had it or we have been covered by our parent's plans our entire life. (The previous comment was also done when I was extremely tired and may not have come out as I intended it to)
I had no idea how complicated medical insurance was until I was getting ready to change it so I would be covered during college. There are so many clauses for deductibles and fees that it all just becomes incredibly frustrating. Not to mention that it is very disconcerting that you can be turned away for having already existing conditions. It's great that student insurance is being looked into as an issue of its own. Uninsured Americans in general are still a big concern in this country, but students are at an incredible disadvantage. Not only do we not have time to work full time jobs (part-time minimum wage at best), but most of us are already in a lot of debt and are flat out broke. The biggest unpaid debt in this country is student loans. It's important that people are looking into this. More importantly, it's important that students look into this too. We cannot just let our parents handle this anymore. This is our responsibility now, and I'm glad things are in motion to make the burden a little lighter.
This information is gold for all college students out there, yet it is also just as elusive and uncommon as pure gold is. I had no idea about many of these options until I read this article, and even now it's hard for me to grasp having so many options in front of me. Yet despite all the options for college students, some of them are not as wonderful as they seem. For CMU in particular, our Health Services is definitely not all it should be. There are many people who have nothing but good to say about the care they provide, yet my experiences and those of some of my friends have not been so praiseworthy. Fiascos with incorrect diagnoses and rude, uncaring practitioners have led me to mistrust the service that I have bought insurance to cover. I'm paying for my university to take care of me, yet the "care" received has been decidedly subpar and sometimes the doctors are less than professional. I hope this is not the case for everyone, but I am glad that this article was posted here because I may very well look into different options.
To be honest, much of the information in this article was news to me. I am fortunate enough to be covered on my parents' insurance as well as the CMU student insurance, which is pretty decent. As such, I haven't had to go off in search of alternatives. It's great to know that these options are out there, though, and also that the Affordable Care Act is making those alternatives even more accessible and affordable for students and young adults who are struggling to get their careers started. As much as we may complain about Health Services around here, our access to quality health care covered by the CMU student insurance policy is pretty impressive. My sister went to a smaller university in a small town and once had an extremely difficult time getting a concussion checked out after normal business hours. She was on several medications and needed to visit doctors regularly, and her student insurance was so bad that it was worth it for her to drive three hours home to see doctors who were covered by my parents' insurance. While the Affordable Care Act can't force all colleges to have insurance plans that live up to a certain standard, at least it can force them to cover all of their students who are in need of coverage, pre-existing conditions or not. As students, we all deserve for our school to provide us with the resources necessary to keep ourselves healthy while in school.
Having a mother in the medical field has really made me spoiled when it comes to health insurance. Her coverage is fairly extensive and though I don't really visit health care providers to often, I know that if something were to happen, I wouldn't have to worry. However once I leave my cushioned life of luxury when I turn 26, I know I'll have some struggles. Especially knowing that I want to have a career in Stage Management. In Equity you have to work a minimum of 12 fully employed weeks to receive only 6 months of health care coverage. You have to work 20 weeks if you want a full year. And knowing that as a freelance Stage Manager, 12 weeks isn't always going to happen let alone 20. Just goes to show that if you are committed to the arts as your chosen career, get educated about what options are available to you, and do it quick.
Echoing the thoughts of my fellow classmates, I feel like this article contains vital information for us, both as students and as future working artists. Insurance is a vital part of economic security, and as we enter an unsteady, essentially short term freelance work force, it becomes all the more important that we know about our options. One extension that I would have liked to see in this article is that of comparison. There are several different options out there, but one must become a self-advocate to ensure that the right decisions are being made. I too am fortunate enough to be covered under my parent’s health insurance. However, upon entering CMU, I was notified about the school’s health insurance, and to avoid double coverage, I had to refuse their health insurance. I feel like many students simply aren’t aware of options, which leads to dangerous, potentially life threatening situations. Awareness is the key antidote.
I'm surprised by what Emma has said about Health Services, because I've heard nothing but bad about them, that they're a joke and incorrect diagnoses and useless placebo drugs are the most common result of going to them.
This article is providing information for students whose health insurance is not covered by their parents or other job benefits. Health insurance is an issue of immense debate in this country, and for students especially. It's often not at all affordable and many students choose to ignore symptoms and take over the counter treatment rather than pay the money to visit a physician. Many underestimate the impact of an unhealthy lifestyle, but hopefully not many will defer from seeking treatment when in doubt.
definitely good information to know. With graduation and the real world fast approaching, my desire to join a union (in my case IATSE) and find employment that gets me covered has only been reinforced by reading this. I am lucky enough to be covered by my parents currently, but I know that I want to make sure I put myself in a stable position as soon as I can after graduation. I'm lucky enough not to have had any huge medical issues yet, but it's really important to me to know that if i do, I'll be covered. And this article showed me a few options that I hadn't considered before, and helped me think about other options should i not be able to get that union gig as soon as I would like (but let's hope that's not the case!).
Post a Comment